Mowbray joins call for more subs

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has thrown his support behind the growing posse of Premier League managers who believe that seven substitutes should be allowed on the sidelines of top-flight matches - just as they are in Europe.

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has thrown his support behind the growing posse of Premier League managers who believe that seven substitutes should be allowed on the sidelines of top-flight matches - just as they are in Europe.

Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce kick-started the debate last week and was swiftly followed by Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson.

Now Mowbray is backing his peers, believing giving managers the option of choosing three substitutes from seven would provide greater flexibility and boost attacking options which could only be better for the game.

And Mowbray has revealed he knows first hand just how the system works - it was in place in Scotland during his two years at Hibernian.

Mowbray said: "I believe seven substitutes should be allowed - I had two years of that in Scotland and it worked perfectly well. It gives you greater flexibility and more options as a manager."

The Albion boss said the situation in Scotland was tempered slightly in that the rules stated three of the seven subs had to be Under-21 players in a bid to encourage young Scottish players through.

He said: "That used to play havoc with the Old Firm teams and they used to complain about that aspect because they had so many internationals and then had to name three youngsters who no one had ever heard of and who would never get a game.

"But it worked well for the rest of us and it would be good for the game if it were allowed down here."

Mowbray himself has been taking quite a gamble with his substitutes recently, choosing not to name a substitute goalkeeper for the bench as back-up for Dean Kiely.

But he insists he has that covered - Albion have a mystery squad member capable of donning the No 1 jersey should the need arise although Mowbray prefers to keep the identity of the player he nicknames " The Cat" a closely-guarded secret.

He said: "In the last couple of weeks I have not had a substitute keeper on the bench and that is a gamble - a big gamble. If Kiely was to get injured or sent off, it would be a real gamble.

"But we have 'The Cat' in the squad who can step up if needed."

He added: "Having seven substitutes would make real sense although whether the chairman would pay the extra appearance money I don't know!

"But it does give you more options and I think you would find managers would put more attacking players on the bench.

"It means you could bring three strikers on or two strikers and an attacking midfielder in the middle of a game. At the moment you have to cover all the options and have a keeper, a defender and perhaps a striker in there.

"More substitutes means more attacking options and that is better for the game and better for everyone." n Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd has recalled defender Matt Jackson from his loan spell at Coca-Cola Championship rivals Blackpool.

The veteran only extended his stay at Bloomfield Road late last week but Boothroyd has activated the 24-hour recall clause to bring him back as cover for Jay DeMerit.

The American centre-half sustained a calf injury against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend which could rule him out for five weeks so Jackson is in contention against Norwich tonight. n Ipswich have confirmed manager Jim Magilton has agreed a new two-year contract which will keep him at Portman Road until 2010.

Magilton is currently in the second year of a two-year deal and has steered the club to fourth place in the table, after Sunday's 2-2 draw with East Anglian rivals Norwich.

First-team coach Bryan Klug and skills coach Steve Foley are also poised to sign two-year deals, and Magilton believes the future is bright for Ipswich.

The club are set for a major investment, after agreeing a deal to sell to private businessman Marcus Evans last week.

The proposed deal will see Evans purchase the club's approximate £32 million debt as well as invest £12 million. Magilton has refused to comment on his transfer plans for the upcoming January transfer window.